Description:

The Five People You Meet in Heaven is a novel by Mitch Albom. It recounts the life and death of a simple yet dignified old man, Eddie. After dying in a freak accident, Eddie finds himself in heaven where he encounters five people who have significantly affected his life, whether he realized it at the time or not. Each imparts a divine piece of wisdom unto him, instilling a deeper comprehension regarding the most intimate facets of life. In the beginning he dedicates the book to his uncle Edward Beitchman. He says that he wants people like his uncle who felt unimportant here on earth to realize, finally, how much they mattered and how the

Description:

The Five People You Meet in Heaven is a novel by Mitch Albom. It recounts the life and death of a simple yet dignified old man, Eddie. After dying in a freak accident, Eddie finds himself in heaven where he encounters five people who have significantly affected his life, whether he realized it at the time or not. Each imparts a divine piece of wisdom unto him, instilling a deeper comprehension regarding the most intimate facets of life. In the beginning he dedicates the book to his uncle Edward Beitchman. He says that he wants people like his uncle who felt unimportant here on earth to realize, finally, how much they mattered and how the

Read an excerpt:

...of the crowd.
A bridesmaid in a long lavender dress and a stitched straw hat moved
through the guests, with a basket of candy-covered almonds. From afar,
she looked to be in her 20s.
"Per l'amaro e il dolce?" she said, offering her sweets. "Per l'amaro e
il dolce? . . . Per l'amaro e il dolce? . . ."
At the sound of her voice, Eddie's whole body shook. He began to
sweat. Something told him to run, but something else froze his feet to
the ground. She came his way. Her eyes found him from beneath the hat
brim, which was topped with parchment flowers.
"Per l'amaro e il dolce?" she said, smiling, holding out the almonds.
"For the bitter and the sweet?"
Her dark hair fell over one eye and Eddie's heart nearly burst. His lips
took a moment to part, and the sound...

Eddie pulled aside the curtain.
"Feast your eyes upon the most unus-- "
The barker's voice vanished. And Eddie stepped back in disbelief.
There, sitting in a chair, alone on the stage, was a middle-aged man
with narrow, stooped shoulders, naked from the waist up. His belly
sagged over his belt. His hair was closely cropped. His lips were thin and
his face was long and drawn

There was Jolly Jane, who weighed over 500 pounds and needed
two men to push her up the stairs. There were conjoined twin sisters,
who shared a spine and played musical instruments. There were men
who swallowed swords, women with beards, and a pair of Indian
brothers whose skin went rubbery from being stretched and soaked in
oils, until it hung in bunches from their limbs.
Eddie,